Area county fairs draw crowds with exhibits, food, fun

Renee Berg, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·3 min read

Jul. 13—Scavenger hunts, paddle boats and chainsaw art. What more could you ask for?

As we head into the dog days of summer, county fairs are preparing to amuse, entertain and feed you. The Blue Earth County Fair is July 20-23 and the Nicollet County Fair is Aug. 9-13.

Admission is free at both regional fairs, and parking on site is $5 at each.

"The whole county comes together and that's always fun," said Ann Volk, secretary of the Nicollet County Fair. "The food is always awesome, and the different shows are fun, too.

"We've had people come from a couple of states away and that always kills me," she said. "People say they drove four hours to get here, but we have one of the best demolition derbies around to watch and we're very proud of that. It's a good way to come together."

The Nicollet County Fair is in St. Peter, and the Blue Earth County Fair is in Garden City.

At the Blue Earth County Fair, you'll find typical carnival food along with a 4H stand, S&K Shakes, mini doughnuts and a Mediterranean Corner.

Ice cream, shakes, pork, nachos, corn dogs, cheese curds and walking tacos are all popular fare at the Nicollet County Fair.

For music, the Blue Earth County Fair is hosting a teen dance 7-11 p.m. July 20. Then on July 21 Rook plays at 8 p.m., and on July 22 at 8 p.m. the GTX Band plays.

At the Nicollet County Fair, on Aug. 11 the GTX Band will play at 7 p.m., and on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. it will be Hillbilly Inc. rocking out. On Aug. 13, there will be Jared Graff at 2 p.m. and Uncle Chunk at 7 p.m.

Popular grandstand events will be back at both fairs this year, with an ATV motorcycle race at the Blue Earth County Fair on July 20 at 7 p.m. On July 21 at 7 p.m. will be "gut and go," which is a smaller version of a demolition derby. On July 22 at 7 p.m. the compact car races will be a draw, and on July 23, the big demolition derby is at 2 p.m., said Robin Tietz, president of the Blue Earth County Fair.

The Nicollet grandstand will offer traditional favorites: harness races on Aug. 10 at 1 p.m., a truck and tractor pull Aug. 11 at 6:30 p.m., demolition derbies on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m., and auto races Aug. 14 at noon.

For rides, J&K Amusements will be featured at the Blue Earth County Fair, with about 10 rides including a giant slide, sizzler ride, tornado ride, merry-go-round and a swing ride.

"Our rides are very clean and very safe," Volk said of Nicollet County Fair rides.

The Nicollet and Blue Earth county fairs also will feature a petting zoo.

The Blue Earth County Fair typically draws as many as 10,000 to 14,000 people over the four-day event, Tietz said. And at the Nicollet County Fair, attendance reaches 20,000.

A chainsaw artist will perform at the Nicollet County Fair at 1 p.m. both Aug. 12 and Aug. 13. There will also be a paintball arcade, which is a big, inflated tunnel where people can play paintball. There's also a talent show 3 p.m. Aug. 13.

And at the Blue Earth County Fair, kids' day is popular, with events going from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 21. Highlights will include face painting, balloon art and scavenger hunts.

Other fairs in the region are in Waseca and Watonwan counties going on this week through Sunday; Faribault County from July 26-29 in Blue Earth; Sibley County from Aug. 1-6 in Arlington; Le Sueur County from Aug. 17-20 in Le Center; and Brown County from Aug. 9-13 in New Ulm.